The Adverse Effects of Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking and the use of other smokeless tobacco products are choices. For this reason, the American Cancer Society dubs smoking as "the most preventable cause of premature death in our society." Cigarette smoking is still the number one cause of cancer deaths and is responsible for almost one in five deaths in the United States.

"More than 8.6 million in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die of cigarette use. Almost half a million people in the U.S. die each year from illnesses related to cigarette smoking. That's more than car accidents, alcohol, AIDS, homicides, suicides and illegal drugs combined.

Statistics from the American Cancer Society show that 30 percent of all cancer deaths are from cigarette smoking. Approximately 87 percent of fatal lung cancer is caused from smoking cigarettes. Lung cancer is also one of the most difficult to treat, but is one of the easiest to prevent.

Cigarette smoking is known to be the main cause of mouth, esophagus, pharynx and bladder cancers. It also has a role in the development of stomach, kidney, pancreas, and some forms of leukemia. The harmful effects of tobacco do not end with smoking cigarettes. Cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco products also cause lung, larynx, esophageal and oral cancers. The "milder" cigarettes with less tar and nicotine are not safer versions.

The past forty years have resulted in approximately 12 million deaths from cigarette smoking. More statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that from those 12 million deaths, 4.1 million were from cancer, 5.5 million from cardiovascular diseases, 2.1 million from respiratory diseases, and 94,000 infant deaths related to the mothers smoking during pregnancy. When a smoker decides to continue during pregnancy, the baby is at a greater risk of respiratory distress, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome.